An illustrated history of the evolution of the Me 262 A version of most famous World War Two jet fighter aircraft: * How the Me 262 A changed during production from * How to recognise the different versions * Colour photos of preserved aircraft *57 colour profiles.

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl
The Me 262 has a significant place in history as the first operational jet fighter and that means that there will be no shortage of books written about it. This latest title from Mushroom Modeling offers something a little different from the usual books on the Me 262, though. Rather than repeat the history of the plane (which has been covered quite extensively in many other books), this book instead provides a detailed outline of the variant differences in both scale drawings and photos. Both the fighter and fighter-bomber variants are covered, as well as the reconnaissance variants, but only the single-seaters are in this book.
Following the variant brief is an excellent color photo section. This section takes you on a walkaround of several museum Me 262s, both restored and unrestored. Virtually no area is uncovered, making this an outstanding reference for the superdetailing modeler. The final section provides over thirty color profile illustrations, all of which are very well done. While many are of planes that have been seen before, there are several that are new to me and are very interesting. The downside to this is that I now have to buy myself a few more Revell Me 262s.
This is a timely release given the recent appearance of the new Tamiya 1/48 Me 262 kit and the wealth of information crammed into its pages. While you may already have one or two Me 262 references, this book will make a nice addition for the concise type reference and great color section.

Modeling Madness  2009-03-24

Reviewed by Scott Van Aken
This is number five in the Yellow series of Mushroom Models Magazines Specials. If you have read the previous series on the Gladiator, A6M, Bf-109E and Bf-109G, then you know you are in for a treat. What these books provide is not so much of a detailed history, but a brief historical background, a set of explanations and drawings for the different variants, a number of superb detail photos of various survivors, and a selection of excellent color profiles.
The Me-262 book is much of the same, though there is a difference in amount of material in the different sections. For instance, there really were not a plethora of 262A variants so there isn't a large section on that. What is not in the variant description has been made up for in the profiles section. In fact, there are no fewer than 27 pages of color profiles! To me, this is just superb as the markings are all very interesting and give one some excellent fodder for upcoming modeling projects.
A vast majority of the color photos in the book are also in color. Naturally, these close-ups are of preserved aircraft, though this time they are in Europe and Australia, and not those in the US. I rarely get to see images of these planes so it is a nice change for me. If I might put in one word of caution, it is regarding the profiles. Early Me-262s had slightly different rudders with a large clear tail light covering at the bottom. This is not shown in any of the early 262 color profiles, so use the profiles as color references and not as a replacement for good personal research into the aircraft of choice.
This is an excellent book for the 262 enthusiast and modeler, especially because of the color profiles. It is highly recommended as are all of the Mushroom Model books.

Hyperscale.com  2009-03-24

Reviewed by Brett Green
The book comprises 96 pages in 9.5" x 6.5" format, with soft covers and including a 27 page colour profile section and a further 37 pages of colour walkaround photos.
The first 23 pages cover the variants of the Messerschmitt Me 262A with brief text, line drawings and historical photographs (although not all variants have photo coverage). With such a broad subject covered in such a short space, this is a very brief summary. Many variants only get a single page.
This introductory section is followed by a summary of armament, then the airframe is examined in detail by way of mostly colour photos. A variety of museum aircraft have been photographed for this section. The airframe photos are logically broken down by the section of the aircraft (eg fuselage, wings, cockpit etc), and the quality of the photos is very good. They will certainly be helpful to modellers wanting to know the colours and details of the Me 262.
The 27 page colour profile section includes 52 side profiles and two plan view illustrations. The illustrations are well done, with depiction of light, shade and weathering on all subjects. Plenty of modelling inspiration here too!
If you do not have a stack of specialist titles on this subject, "Messerschmitt Me 262A SCHWALBE" will be a handy and compact introduction to the Me 262, with the added bonus of 54 attractive colour profiles.
Recommended